Worth It
by cavlik97
Summary: Salex oneshot post 2x21...a much needed one shot after an AMAZING Salex episode!


**A/N: Um... is anybody else having a severe case of intense fangirling over 2x21? I know I am! Uh... SALEX OVERLOAD. Gotta love Birkhoff!**

"**Shh, don't spoil the moment!"**

**Hehe. Well, because of the AMAZINGNESS of that ep, here is a one-shot following it because I think Sean and Alex would have a few things to sort out before they started skipping romantically hand in hand around the new safe house. **

**That...and the new chapter of Roommates is taking longer than expected (but it will be up soon) so I need to give you something to fill in. :) **

**DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Nikita. Although we've been moved from "could go either way" to "a safe bet" on the renewal status, if I **_**did **_**own Nikita, we'd be set on "a sure thing". **

Michael and Nikita retired to bed soon, both tired out after the events of the meet with Kendrick. Nikita shot Alex a knowing smirk which pretty much meant _we're gonna talk tomorrow and you know it's about Sean. _Michael just sent her a grin before following Nikita up to bed. Ryan showed Kendrick to a room he could stay in before also hitting the sack. Birkhoff wasn't exactly going to get some sleep but he gave Alex a nudge and then slung his laptop under his arm and trudged up the stairs with a can of beer and a packet of dorritos.

'You realise your diet will kill you before Division does!' Alex called. His only reply was a laugh. So then remained Sean and Alex in the room.

'We gonna talk about it?' asked Sean quietly after a long silence.

'I dunno,' Alex murmured in reply, her eyes staring down hard at the coffee table in front of her.

'Alex, you kissed me back,' Sean pointed out very obviously. 'I have no idea what I'm supposed to take from that.'

'Yeah, we'll neither do I!' Alex hissed, burying her face in her hands.

'I love you.'

Alex froze. _What _had he just said? 'W...what?' she stammered in a hoarse whisper.

'I love you, Alex.' Sean carefully got up from the armchair he was sitting on and moving to be beside Alex on the couch. He winced as he sunk into the couch and out of instinct, Alex immediately placed a gentle hand on his arm. He took the opportunity to clasp her hands in his and to the surprise of them both, Alex didn't make any attempt to pull them away.

'Say something,' Sean begged like a lovesick teenager. Alex felt her stomach twist into a tight knot. God – she wanted this. She wanted what Michael and Nikita had. She wanted someone like Sean, who after a long day would wrap his arms around her and assure her that everything was going to be okay. But after Thom and Nathan, Alex had almost vowed to never get in a relationship again. Then again, Thom hadn't known her. He knew she'd been a junkie and that she'd lost her parents...but he didn't know she was a mole until the very end or that Nikita had saved her life or that she'd been a sex slave. And then Nathan had known even less. It had been like Nikita and Daniel all over again.

But Sean...

Sean knew everything. He knew her history. Her motives. Her thoughts, actions...that, and he was Seal Team 6. He could protect himself from whatever hell she brought down.

'Alex?' Sean said hesitantly. Alex turned to face him and before he could say anything else, she pulled him towards her, their lips meeting in a searing kiss. Alex almost laughed at the giddy feeling that swept through her head as his hands came to rest at her sides. His lips were just as soft and tender as they had been in the car. There was a rough edge of stubble on his cheeks that tickled Alex's skin and she smiled into the kiss, bringing her hands to lock around his neck, trying to remind herself that he still had a gunshot injury on his right side. Alex's hair irritatingly fell across her face as Sean gently pushed her back into the couch but Alex thought her heart would explode when Sean brought a hand up to her cheek and tucked the loose hair behind her ear.

'Ow,' he murmured against her lips suddenly and Alex broke away, eyes filled with anxiety. 'You okay?' she asked.

'Absolutely fine,' Sean smiled. He cocked his head. 'Quick question. Has Michael been asking about you and me?'

Alex's jaw dropped. 'Yes! So has Nikita! How did you know?'

'Because of those _knowing looks _I've been getting,' Sean said with a smirk. 'So...what did you tell them?'

'Why should I tell you?' Alex teased.

'Because I'm curious,' Sean returned with a wink. Alex twisted her finger around the material of his jacket collar, smiling as he poked her gently with his finger, waiting for an answer.

'According to Birkhoff,' she said with a small smile, 'everyone could tell there was something going on.'

'And since when _was _there something going on?' asked Sean more seriously, his adorable boy-ish features being graced with a kind of worry.

'Since I needed someone to ask those questions about Division that made me wonder why I was even working with them. Since you opened my eyes about them and led me back to Nikita.'

'Well you're the one who brought me here,' Sean pointed out. 'You can't forget that.' He ducked his head down, kissing her again softly. Unfortunately...they were interrupted by the shrill ring of Sean's phone on the table. Alex groaned, causing Sean to chuckle. He carefully sat up properly, wincing slightly before reaching out and checking the text.

'Who is it?' Alex asked. Sean sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair. 'My sister,' he said. 'Youngest one. They've both been pestering me about why I'm not staying with them or trying to sort out family crap. I kinda just up and left to help with this mission.'

'_Sean_!' Alex cried. 'You can't just leave your sisters hanging!'

'I needed space!' Sean shot back. 'God, they were both doing my head in. Don't get me wrong. I love them but Meg was sulking and getting angry at me because I was the last one to see Mom alive...while Jennifer is using her death as an excuse to party all night, go completely off track at college and spend days on end with her boyfriend. I called my uncle to look after them...I'd had enough and figured that helping with the Division fight might actually make me feel useful.'

'And you ended up getting shot,' Alex said with a raised eyebrow.

'Beats dragging Jen back from college parties,' Sean insisted. 'And hey. I ended up kissing you. I wouldn't change that for anything.'

Alex tried to hide the blush that coloured her cheeks. 'You should get some rest,' she said quickly, changing subject so that he wouldn't see her blush. 'With that wound, you shouldn't have had to be rushed out of a house that was about to explode. Come on.' She helped him to his feet, leading him up the stairs and towards the room that Ryan had said was empty and free for use. There was a king sized bed in the fully furnished rooms...like all the safe houses that they had been in.

'Is it still bleeding?' Alex asked. Sean shook his head.

'Good,' Alex said. 'Will you be okay?'

'Alex, hang on...' Sean said, grabbing her arm. 'Can you stay?'

Alex paused. She knew that he didn't just mean for another half hour. 'You sure?' she asked quietly. Sean nodded. 'Please?' he requested.

'Okay,' Alex gave in, though it hadn't taken much. She shut the door behind them, curling up beside Sean under the covers as they slipped into the bed.

Well, she knew this wasn't what she'd expected when she got up this morning.

'Why are you so scared?' Sean murmured into her hair.

'Uh...with the life we're leading, you don't know if you're going to make it through the day,' Alex answered, slightly confused. 'I think I have a right to be scared.'

'I mean, scared of relationships,' Sean clarified. Alex sucked in a sharp breath. Memories were springing back into her mind. Memories that she'd prefer to keep buried. But Sean did have a right to know what he was getting himself into.

'Because...' Alex spoke reluctantly, tightly clutching the duvet. '...both guys I took the time to care for or fall in love with ended up with ruined lives. Nathan had to flee the country. Thom ended up...dead...' Alex's voice cracked on the last word and she felt Sean's arms tighten around her.

'I know about what happened there,' he said, tracing comforting circles on her back. 'I read the file Division had on you.'

'I'll never forget that fight,' Alex confessed in a whisper. 'Sean, I'm scared because I wouldn't be able to handle anything happening to you because of me.'

'Well nothing's going to happen,' Sean said firmly. 'Trust me. After everything all of us have been through...we deserve something good in our lives. We've lost enough. Now it's just going to be about hanging out to the things we've got.' He paused before continuing. 'I just hope that what we get after this fight will be worth everything that's happened.'

A smile crossed Alex's face and she snuggled closer to Sean, closing her eyes. 'Don't worry, Sean,' she said with a happy sigh. 'It'll be worth it.'

**A/N: The ending came to me after rewatching Michael and Alex's conversation in the car about Sean. :) **

**Well... you guys know what to do. Read and review. And feel free to fangirl in the reviews. I understand completely. **


End file.
